Topic: Biometric Boarding

Travel from Austin to Florence via New York involved a four-hour delay due to a pilot shortage at Delta Airlines. Curry observes that TSA and Delta have fully implemented facial recognition for international boarding, eliminating the need for physical passports or boarding passes at the gate. The system relies on biometric data already stored in the federal database.

The travel experience continues with a Delta flight from Detroit to Amsterdam, highlighting a biometric boarding process. The system identified the passenger by name and face without requiring a physical passport or ticket scan at the gate. Speculation follows regarding how San Antonio TSA data integrates with airline systems to facilitate seamless facial recognition across different airports.

Travelers at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport are now subject to mandatory facial recognition scans at glass portals before reaching customs. The system requires scanning a boarding card while cameras perform a 30-second biometric match against passport data. This new security layer precedes the traditional physical exit interview and passport stamping process for international departures.

Axon, formerly known as Taser International, is developing facial recognition software for police body cameras and has established an ethics board to oversee the rollout. Civil rights groups have voiced opposition, citing risks of misidentification, particularly for individuals with darker skin tones. The CEO of Axon compares the evolution of the technology to the early days of DNA testing.